Going the Distance

Photos c/o AdventureCORPS Badwater

Forty-one hours and eighteen minutes after starting, EMILY LYONS this summer crossed the finish line of the Badwater 135 Ultramarathon, considered the world’s toughest foot race.

The Castle Hayne resident completed the 135-mile course, which starts in Death Valley, California, with temperatures climbing over 100 degrees during the event in July.

“I was very anxious, nervous, and scared before the race as I knew a lot of people would be following my results and expecting me to finish since I finished last year, but with this race, like most 100+ mile distances, you never know what obstacles – high heat, humidity, bees, nausea, chafing, swollen feet, etc. – may present themselves during the race,” recalls Lyons, who was followed on the route by her husband and friends in a support van.

Lyons, who works as a CPA for PwC specializing in cybersecurity, data privacy, and regulatory compliance assurance and consulting, participated in the foot race last year and hopes to enter again in 2025.

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